


A Little More Action

by Shelaar (JonathanAnubian)



Series: A Little Less Conversation [2]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Clone Relationships (Star Wars), Clone Trooper Culture (Star Wars), Force Sensitivity (Star Wars), Light Dom/sub, M/M, Original Character-centric, Possessive Behavior, Power Play, Protective Older Brothers, Slow Burn, Stewjoni Culture (Star Wars), Stuttering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:01:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27775801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JonathanAnubian/pseuds/Shelaar
Summary: Scenes fromHush, Don't Speak, from the POV of other characters.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Original Clone Trooper Character(s)/Original Male Character(s)
Series: A Little Less Conversation [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2031862
Comments: 22
Kudos: 75





	1. Commander Dajun

When he’d been told they were being assigned a natborn officer, instead of a Jedi General, Commander Dajun felt as if a black hole had opened in his abdomen. A lot of the vode now under his command were still wet behind the ears shinies. Half of them hadn’t even been on Geonosis as they’d been quarantined from everyone else due to a potential virus.

Meeting the man for the first time had been a bit of a surprise. The first thing he’d done is offer his arm to him, looking completely relaxed. “Commodore Ganekh, Commander. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I can only hope we work well together.” There was no hint of a lie in his firm blue eyes or in the way he stood. Dajun didn’t hesitate as he shook the man’s hand. Hesitation got you in hot water back on Kamino and he didn’t want the man to see his unease.

Somehow he seemed to sense it anyway as he smiled reassuringly before releasing his hand. There was a clear lack of disgust or wariness on his face, which Dajun had seen on many of the other natborns who were supposed to be working with the vode.

“Sir. The troops are waiting for your inspection, as ordered.” The man nodded and led the way out of the room.

As they walked down the lines and the commodore inspected the troops that would be under his command the man would turn and quietly address him. The questions he asked weren’t surprising, like what percentage of the men were trained in different styles of combat, but it was the way he asked that had the commander feeling a little out of his depth.

Commodore Ganekh was by no means gentle but he spoke respectfully and made absolutely no disparaging comments.

“I would like to address the men before we close out the inspection, Commander.”

“Yes, Sir.” Turning to face his battalion he took a deep breath. “Atten-tion!” He shouted. The troops moved as one and he wanted to smirk with pride. Even if they were shinies they were still highly trained.

“Thank you, Commander.” The man nodded at him respectfully and Dajun could tell his gratitude was sincere. “I am Commodore Ganekh. You will refer to me as either Commodore or Sir. From this day forward I will be in charge of your battalion.” He went quiet for a moment, as if contemplating what he wanted to say. “I may not be a jedi but I have seen my fair share of conflict. I have heard tales that you are all brave, strong, warriors.” The man straightened and Dajun thought he could have given the Alphas a run for their money with how military straight he was standing. “Only time under fire will tell if this is true.” He spoke as if he knew that for a fact and Dajun felt himself relaxing slightly.

They were not getting a lazy or incompetent officer. Dajun wanted to sigh in relief but kept himself in check. The commodore looked to him for a moment before he spoke again.

“Before I dismiss you there is one thing I would like to make perfectly clear. If you have a name you prefer to be to referred to by, be sure to assign it to your current designations in the access system. If you do not yet have a name and wish for one, know that you may change your designation at any time in the records. That is all. Dismissed!” Dajun almost missed the dismissal, too surprised to react with his usual immediacy. “I said dismissed!” The man said again, louder this time.

“Sir, yes, Sir!” He replied along with his brothers before his face burned slightly. He was not the one being dismissed, he shouldn’t have spoken but it was a reflex.

“Commander, I want you to gather whoever is running logistics so I can go over the reports. I was appointed to this post in a hurry and find myself woefully unprepared.” Dajun nodded respectfully.

“Of course, Sir. Would you like me to send the men to your office?” The man nodded.

“Yes, that seems best.” He turned to walk away but stopped. “And Commander?” Dajun looked up from his commpad. “When you feel ready, if ever you feel ready, I would appreciate hearing your name.” The man walked off to speak with one of the other natborn officers and Dajun was left standing there, fingers poised over his bracer, as he wondered whether or not he could trust the commodore with his name…

Not yet. He would wait and see if the man’s personality changed at all before making his decision.

He would put it out of his mind for now, he had a task to complete.


	2. Private Racket

As the weeks passed on the newly christened Vigilant the vode began to notice signs that not every commanding officer was as understanding or pleasant as the Commodore. In particular there were a few natborns who would go out of their way to mock them for their names. Called them animals or meat droids. But none of them raised a hand to the vode, which was lucky. Trained for war from the moment they were decanted or not, the vode wouldn’t fight back if a superior officer beat them.

Some days Racket thought it would have been easier to deal with the physical punishments heaped on them by the trainers than watching his brother slowly descend into silence, cowering under the cruel gazes of the officers and biting his lips until they bled from the stress. The officers had taken one look at his brother and immediately decided he was the best target, just like those bastards back on Kamino that thought Hush wasn’t good enough to be a soldier.

"Sir, if you'd just let me-" He tried for the third time, hoping the man would just let him answer so that his brother would be spared.

"I was not asking you, clone, I was asking him. I want the verbal report, now." He felt white hot rage fill his chest and only Hush’s small attempt to calm him kept him from getting them both in a lot of trouble.

"Y-y-yes, S-sir. At fourt-t-teen hundred h-hours we w-" His brother started, trying his best to keep his words clear despite the stutter. The officer let out a loud and disdainful tsk.

"This is pathetic. Is there something wrong with your programming?" Immediately his brother’s mouth snapped shut and Racket could tell he was falling even farther into a depressed state. Racket was so close to decking the man in the face but their training was so ingrained into them that he hesitated, despite how intensely angry he was at his brother’s mistreatment.

“What’s all this then?” Came a stern voice, loud enough that it startled them and the officer both.

Coming around the corner, walking as if he had every right to be wherever he damn well pleased, the commodore stared the officer down with eyes as cold as ice.

“Sir! I was just-” All the man had to do to shut up the other natborn was raise his hand. It wasn’t even an aggressive movement.

Behind him Commander Dajun stepped into the hall, eyes blazing, and Racket found himself relaxing. The commander had looked after them on Kamino, made sure that Hush had a chance to prove he was just as capable as any other soldier. Racket trusted the older vod.

"You were abusing your authority over the men. My men, whom I am responsible for." The commander looked a little surprised and some of the fire in his eyes died out. "As of this moment you are dismissed, Sergeant. I will speak with you on this matter later." The words were harsh, biting, and ironclad. The man would accept no excuses and no complaints.

The sergeant swallowed hard, gave a quick salute that was a little sloppy, and strode away as if a long-neck was on his ass.

When the man had finally turned the far corner down the hall, far enough away that he couldn’t overhear them, the commodore turned to he and his brother. The look in his eyes was cryptic and Racket felt tense at his steady stare. He looked between the two of them for a moment. "Privates... Racket and Hush, I believe?" Racket almost jumped. What? How? "I apologize if I am mistaken." He knew that Hush wouldn’t be able to answer, not after the sergeant had tormented him. So he spoke up quickly.

"No, Sir, you're correct. I'm Private Racket, and this is m- Private Hush." He wanted to smack himself at his near slip up. The natborn wouldn’t understand if he called Hush his brother. Luckily the man just gave him an amused look, his lips tilting upward at the corners ever so slightly.

“Ah, good.” Racket was starting to relax when the man’s gaze shifted to his brother and seemed to… gentle, somehow. It set of a few red alerts in his mind.

"I wished to speak to Private Hush alone.” His voice was calm, even, with no hint of danger to it. But that just made Racket tense even further. He didn’t want to leave his brother alone with anyone right now. Let alone another natborn superior. But it wasn’t up for debate. He was being almost polite about it but Racket knew it wasn’t a simple request. Glancing behind the man, to the commander, he watched him sign a quick ‘safe.’

Well if the commander was certain of it he’d follow along, for now.

Turning to the commodore he gave the man a proper salute, unlike the sergeant from before. As he turned away he signed at his brother. ‘Rendezvous later.’ Hush didn’t respond but he saw a flicker in his eyes and knew the message had been received.

The commander left with him, walking beside him and remaining silent until they were out of earshot of the commodore and Hush.

“How are you feeling, vod’ika?” Racket scrubbed a hand over his face and let out an aggravated sigh.

“I wish they’d just leave him alone, ori’vod.” He stopped when the commander did, keeping watch down one end of the hallway while Dajun kept watch down the other. While the commander didn’t hide how much Racket’s squad meant to him from other vode there was no need to invite trouble from a natborn officer.

“I know, and trust me, the Commodore is trying. I’ve seen him discipline the natborns more than once for harrassing our vode. But there’s not much he can do. We’re not considered people, according to the Republic, so they can’t be brought up on formal charges.” Racket clenched his fists and ground his teeth.

He knew that, he did, but… A hand on his shoulder had him taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. The commander breathed with him, helping to further calm him down.

“Thanks, ori’vod.” Dajun smiled.

“Any time, vod’ika. And don’t worry too much. I’ll look after our little shev’ad.” Racket smiled.

They might have lost Watcher and Engi but they’d always have the commander at their backs, and that meant the world to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a;
> 
> Vod- Sibling, in this case Brother.  
> Vode- Brothers  
> Ori'vod- Elder brother  
> Vod'ika- Younger brother  
> Shev'ad- Quiet child


	3. Commodore Ganekh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies if there are a lot of spelling mistakes. My new laptop has a different keyboard set-up and I'm still learning it.

When his new aide-de-camp appeared before him, earlier than the appointed time, he looked the man over for a moment and hid the slight frown when he realized that the man had nothing else to wear but his armor. While Ekh-ardt would damn well live in his armor if allowed he could sense that something about Hush wearing armor constantly felt off. Rather than the second skin a lot of the men treated it as, a comfortable hard shell that protected them from the world outside, Hush clearly felt stifled by it.

He would have to fix that as soon as possible. He didn’t want any of the men under his command to feel any more trapped than they already did.

Beside him the good commander was scrutinizing him, his shoulders a little more stiff than usual. He’d noticed that the man was very protective of the younger troopers but he needn’t have worried. Ekh-ardt had no ill intentions toward the young man. 

"Commander, I hope you don't believe my taking on an assistant is a slight against your abilities. I dare think there are more important things you could be doing with your time than acting as a secretary." He joked lightly, trying to ease some of the tension.

"The thought didn't even cross my mind, Sir." From the corner of his eye he could see the commander sign something to the younger trooper and the ever so slight nod given in response. It was good to see the men supporting one another.

"Tell me when we've come out of hyperspace, until then I am to be undisturbed." He ordered.

“Of course, Sir.” Commander Dajun gave him a salute then turned and left the room, headed for the bridge.

Turning to look the young man over again he could see the signs of his nervousness and hoped that with some guidance and a safe place to work unmolested Hush would be able to grow in confidence.

As they walked the long halls he could feel the trooper’s eyes on his back, a slight itch that had the hairs on the back of his neck rising slightly in warning. Such focused attention usually meant an imminent attack but he could feel the curiosity and anxiousness coming off the poor man. It left a sour taste in his mouth and made him want to bristle in anger. Taking a calming breath he leaned into his training and pushed those emotions away, intent on not causing the young man any more hurt than he’d already suffered.

Entering his quarters he felt the sharp surprise before it turned to dread. Ekh-ardt clenched his teeth and forced his disgust away as hard as he could. What had this man heard or experienced that would have him fearing entering a room alone with a superior officer? Sinking into the pool of serenity at the center of his mind he was sure to give off nothing but calm.

The trooper finally looked up from the floor after a moment of nothing happening and he caught sight of his scared honey brown eyes. He did his best to convey safety and trust as he motioned to his desk and the chair already set out for the trooper. “Have a seat.” Walking around to the other side of his desk he took off his hat with some relief. As much as he liked his armored helm the hat was far less comfortable and if it hadn’t been for protocol he would have spaced it out an airlock. As it stood, however, he looked far more like what the Core worlders would consider ‘respectable’ with it on. So he grudgingly kept it.

Looking up when the trooper didn’t immediately sit down he raised a brow curiously. The man’s eyes were focused on his hair, a look of confused wonder on his face. Ekh-ardt had to try very hard not to outright laugh at the look.

“Surprised?” He asked, unable to hide his amusement.

"I-uh-y-yessir." A small huff of laughter snuck its way out of him.

"Red hair is commonplace on my birth planet. It was a surprise to find out it is actually a rare occurrence for the galaxy at large." Rummaging around in his drawers he pulled out the datapads they would be working from and set them down between them, loser to Hush. "As for the style, well, it is an important part of my culture and I didn't feel the need to discard it for the sake of appearances when the hat covers it easily enough." The first person to order him to get rid of his ‘inappropriate’ hair had found themselves with a fist in their gut. Sometimes he hated the Core worlders and their narrow view of what was acceptable. Telling a warrior to cut their hair was a duel worthy insult to those in the warrior caste.

Noticing the man was still standing he looked pointedly between him and the chair, smiling when the trooper quickly sat down.

"Now. Here are the duties I've assigned you for the moment; you are to act as a personal assistant when filing data and requisitions forms, run errands I can’t pull other personnel from their ordinary tasks to do, and keep up to date on any changes in the data work if I am otherwise indisposed. Do you think that’s something you can handle? You’ll be working primarily here or in my office if I am not with you.” It would be inappropriate to allow the trooper to stay in his quarters if he wasn’t there.

“I th-think so, S-Sir.” It wasn’t quite the answer he had hoped for but the young man was still clearly uncertain whether or not he could trust Ekh-ardt completely yet. It was going to take a lot of work to reverse the effects of the abuse he had already suffered. But Ekh-ardt was patient. And if Hush still felt uncomfortable with him after a week or so he would find somewhere else that was quiet and out of the way for him to work. Somewhere it would be difficult for the other officers to bully him.

They worked quietly for hours, with Ekh-ardt explaining some of the more obscure procedures that had been quickly implemented by the senate during the creation of the GAR. 

"Hm. Send those requisition forms to the quartermaster first, I want him to add anything he thinks we'll need in the immediate future. Some of the requests can be pushed back as long as we're careful how we go about things." He handed the datapad back with a small smile.

"R-right aw-w-way, Sir." Taking another stealthy look at the young man he was glad to notice he had calmed considerably since he’d first entered the room. The quiet atmosphere was already doing wonders it seemed. The fact that he still had a stutter didn’t worry Ekh-ardt. Either it would eventually fade as Hush became more confident in himself or it was a permanent disability. In either case trying to rush him or criticize something he could not change about himself was foolish. Ekh-ardt had worked with men and women who had a variety of disabilities that the Core worlders would snidely look down their noses at. But Hush was just as able as anyone else if someone had the patience to listen to what he had to say, not how he said it.

A sudden grumbling sound filled the room and he paused in his work, looking up at the trooper. Realizing what the sound had been he raised a curious brow, his lips quirking into a faint smile as he tried to hold in his laughter. The trooper’s face flushed slightly and he hunched in on himself a little, clearly trying not to broadcast his embarrassment. Ekh-ardt abandoned his datapad and sat back in his chair, looking at the chrono on the wall. 

"I suppose it is around that time. Head to the officer's mess and grab us both something to eat. If anyone questions why you're there tell them I sent you." His expression fell slightly and Ekh-ardt had to hold back his righteous anger. Someone like Hush should have been able to look up to the officers, not quiver in fear of them. "If they won't listen to you them comm me and I will explain it to them myself." He knew some of his anger was leaking through the careful facade of serenity he had plastered onto his face but he couldn’t quite hide how angry the actions of his officers made him. Thankfully the young man must have realized his anger was aimed elsewhere and if anything was calmed by it.

He would have told the man to forget it, that he could go get the mid-meal, but he had to know that Hush could perform simple errands. He couldn’t have an incompetent aide-de-camp, even if he wanted to help the young trooper.

“Yes, Sir.” Hush stood from his chair and turned to leave before his entire body stilled. Ekh-ardt smiled, happy to have had some part in making the young trooper feel comfortable and safe. But he didn’t comment on it. To do so might embarrass Hush and make him feel self conscious so he just returned to his work.

There was a quiet moment where the trooper radiated confusion before he shook it off and quickly left on his errand.

When he came back Ekh-ardt was finishing up another document the senate had demanded be filed as part of GAR procedure. "You had no trouble, I hope?" He could sense that Hush was distressed and frowned in concern. Had the officers said or done something? He’d hoped it was only a few isolated cases but if discrimination against the cloned troopers was widespread he woud have to hold an officers meeting and address it directly.

"N-no, S-s-sir." He hummed in response, so he didn’t press the trooper for the truth. Taking his own meal he turned his attention to a novel his sister had sent him. It was from a series published on his home planet and he had been looking forward to the new release of the next installment.

By the time latemeal came around he could feel the trooper’s energy beginning to flag. Watching the way he blinked at the datapad, squinting with a small frown on his face, he decided it was best to finish up for the cycle. "We'll pick this up tomorrow. Get something to eat and head out for the night. You still have early morning drills to run."

"Yes, Sir." Organizing the items in front of him, something he’d copied from Ekh-ardt after seeing it only twice, he stood and gave a quick salute. He could sense that there was something else the trooper wanted to say but when the silence dragged on a little too long he looked up from his work and gave the man an encouraging nod before turning back to his work. He didn’t want to put pressure on him, after all.

In his peripheral he saw the trooper flash a couple of those hand signs the clones seemed to have adapted for themselves before he turned and left the room.

Ekh-ardt wondered if the young man would teach him. It would make communication easier if Hush relied on them more than words. If he preferred the hand signs to speaking aloud then Ekh-ardt wasn’t going to let a little thing like learning a new ‘language’ get in the way of helping the young trooper.

Just like he’d helped Ekh-ali and Som-nill.


	4. Private Puzzle

When Racket came back without Hush he’d felt a momentary flare of panic. It only dimmed when he saw Dajun next to him, looking calm as could be. He signed a quick ‘all is well’ that had Puzzle relaxing further. He nodded in both greeting and farewell as the commander turned and hurried off to his duties. When they were somewhere safe he asked Racket what had happened. He knew that his brother would need to vent and talking out loud was the way he best worked through his own thoughts.

When Hush finally reappeared he looked almost dazed, clear confusion on his face as he told them he’d been given new duties. That he would be the commodore’s new Aide-de-camp. They didn’t believe him at first, even if they both knew Hush wasn’t in the habit of lying, but were proven wrong quite quickly when a message came through detailing Hush’s new schedule.

Racket was clearly worried but Puzzle was more optimistic about the situation. After all the commander wouldn’t allow anything to happen to he or his brothers, not if he could help it.

For the entire next day Hush was nowhere to be seen and Racket was a jittery mess. He muttered under his breath more than usual and continued to ping Puzzle’s comm for reassurance. Puzzle took it all in stride until the day ended and they were on their way to late meal.

Picking up their trays they received their meals and looked around for a place to sit. Spying Hush Racket slapped his arm and motioned with his head. They quickly made their way over and Puzzle gladly sat next to his batchmate, relieved to see him. 

Immediately Racket started asking questions. "Hush, vod! How's the new work? Is the commodore treating you okay? What kind of work were you doing? Anything interesting or is it all admin osik?" Puzzle slapped a hand over his mouth to stop him from pestering their clearly tired brother but Racket just licked his hand in response. He made a face as Hush chuckled at his expense.

"Where were you all day? We assumed you would be following the commodore around but no one had seen you..." His brother nibbled on his lower lip, trying to give them a reassuring smile.

"Th-the c-c-commodore is... w-we w-w-were in his q-quarters t-today." Puzzle felt a bolt of alarm and the beginnings of anger in his gut. He wasn’t normally quick to anger but once it was roused it was very hard to control. "S-s-so many w-words." Hush complained with light humor. That stopped Puzzle from letting his anger get the best of him and it dissipated quickly at the hand signs his brother flashed at them.

“Ha! So you’re a gglorified secretary now, huh? Well that’s better than being a grunt, that’s for sure.” Racket laughed, aiming for a playful tease rather than an insult.

Taking a small bite of his ration bar he tilted his head slightly, curious. "Did you like your work?" His brother nodded.

"That's good. I bet it was really quiet while you were working, huh? No one would be making a racket, heh, around the officer's quarters."

“Y-yeah.”

The tray hitting the table had the three of them jumping, ready to react to a sudden threat, before they recognized the vod sitting across from them. Puzzle straightened his spine, like his brothers, but gave the commander a narrow eyed glare for his stunt. A crooked grin crossed the commander’s face as he gave a small wave. “At ease.” He joked. Next to him he could feel his brothers relaxing at the command and he let go of his annoyance.

"How was working with the Commodore?" Puzzle looked between the commander and his brother, wondering if he would say anything different than before. They all knew that the commander would go to bat for them. For more reasons than his brothers even knew of.

Hush looked down and became quiet for a moment, contemplating how to answer. “Easy.” He said. Puzzle looked over at him in surprise as a broad smile crossed Racket’s face. The commander looked relieved but squared his shoulders all the same.

"Do you want to keep working with the commodore? I can always raise an objection and try to get you placed elsewhere if you'd like." Hush shook his head.

"No. I-I'll s-stay." And that was that. His brother would remain the aide-de-camp of the commodore without interference. At least until something happened or Hush asked for help.

They finished eating their meals and Racket offered to take their trays. The commander stood with a smile, his eyes going from Racket, to Hush, and finally falling on Puzzle. “I have more work to finish before lights out. Have a good night vode.” As the commander walked past him he felt the gentle brush of fingers against the back of his hand. He had to hold back a small sigh of longing as the man strode confidently down the corridor and disappeared into the lift.

They would have to wait until they either had a shared moment of free time or until they were on a planet if they wanted a moment together. Dajun was still trying to convince him to tell his brothers about them but Puzzle wasn’t ready yet. Although he could sense it was something they couldn't keep quiet for much longer.


	5. Commander Dajun 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Commander Dajun figures out why some of the tics the Commodore has seem so familiar...

Standing behind the commodore he kept his eye on the strange natives as his vod’ika took notes on a datapad beside him. Ever since he’d started working with the commodore his mood had improved greatly. His stutter wasn’t as prominent and he was energetic, happy, whenever he had time to spend with his brothers.

Which was another thing that the commodore had accommodated. Each trooper had been given days off, even while they were still on campaign. As long as they weren’t involved in a ground or void engagement they each had time to just relax and reconnect with their brothers. On top of that the man had somehow managed to get them a shipment of actual practice weapons for the sword class he had been teaching in his free time.

Dajun would have worried the man was working himself to death but with himself and Hush taking on some of the burden it actually made their lives all run far smoother than he’d have expected.

He heard horror stories from some vode who were given horrible natborn officers who treated them like mindless machines, working them until they collapsed, and he thanked the stars that their commodore was an honorable man. He shuddered to think about what would have happened to Hush, or force forbid Puzzle, if their command had been given over to someone who didn’t see them as sentient beings in their own right.

As the meeting came to an end one of the representatives, a low ranked government official, turned to watch them silently. The commodore shifted on his feet, standing taller and almost seeming to take up more space than a man his size should be capable of. It was easy, sometimes, to forget that the man was actually shorter than they were. There was just something about his presence that seemed larger. It niggled at the back of his mind, something about that detail was so familiar…

[You be sure to keep those creatures of yours on a leash.] If it weren’t for the fact that he was supposed to be keeping his eye out for danger Dajun would have completely ignored the official. He’d heard worse insults from his own brothers. Whatever this being had to say could be ignored.

“I assure you that my troops are honorable men and will comport themselves appropriately as soldiers of the Republic.” The temperature on his HUD dropped a few points and he frowned.

[They better or I will have the guard put them down like the animals they are.] The official swung its head between himself and his vod’ika and he grit his teeth in response. He could handle someone spitting venomous words at him but no one was allowed to harm his vod’ika.

The sound of something shattering nearby, glass or maybe ceramic, had him readying himself for an attack. His eyes landed on his commanding officer, awaiting orders, and he frowned. Commodore Ganekh stood with his feet apart, shoulders relaxed and one arm partially laying across the scabbard of his sword. Behind his back his hand was balled into a fist. With everyone’s eyes on the broken ornament they missed the slight tremble in the man’s limbs as he rooted himself to the spot, feigning nonchalance.

“If you touch my troops I will consider it an act of sabotage against the Republic and treat it as the threat it is. Do you understand me?” The cold anger in his voice was almost enough to frost the air in front of him. Dajun would have been worried if it weren’t for the way the man made himself the target of the aliens, shifting on his feet so the hip with his sword was thrust forward enough to attract even more attention.

[…understood.] The translator was terrible at conveying emotion but if the alien wasn’t terrified of the commodore he would eat his own boots. Without so much as a single look back a small group of the officials all scurried out of the room. The man turned to look back at them, sharp eyes softening a little as he looked between Hush and himself.

“What an absolute shabuir.” He muttered, just loud enough for Hush and the commodore to overhear. The man gave him a curt nod of agreement but didn’t look to be in the mood to comment. Rather his eyes swept the room as if trying to root out any danger before it could appear. The air remained cold around them and that niggling in the back of his mind continued to eat at him.

“Come, I want to see how the men are doing with the weather.” That… wasn’t the whole truth. He knew that Hush had spoken about Kamino to the commodore before. Hells, he’d spoken to him about Kamino before. It was hard not to answer when he asked a sincere question with the intention of helping any of their vode who had pre-existing trauma. Like how Dor was actually terrified of water or how Barz would internally panic if someone touched his left shoulder. By now the commodore knew that they had all been trained to deal with different types of weather and with their planet being bombarded with near constant storms the rain was just as familiar as breathing to the clones.

This was about something else.

The commodore couldn’t seem to leave the Speaking Halls, what the aliens called their government building, fast enough. If he walked any faster or lengthened his stride a fraction more he would be jogging.

Something had him on edge, which in turn had Dajun on edge. Was there some danger the commodore was sensing that he could not? If that was true then what was it that was setting him off? The ornament shattering earlier hadn’t even made the man flinch and it hadn’t had any of the markings of an assassin attempting to take out a target.

Nothing was adding up.

Sitting in the back of the covered speeder didn’t seem to ease the commodore’s anxious energy either. He was tense, staring out the window as if he was still expecting an attack to come out of nowhere. It reminded him of the stories some of his brothers told about their Jedi Generals-

Son of a shabla Hutt!

“So when were you going to tell me?” He asked, eyes practically boring a hole in the back of the commodore’s head until the man turned to look at him, eyebrow raised curiously. Oh he wasn’t going to buy that innocent look for a stars cursed minute! “You’re karking force sensitive.” Across from him, sitting next to the commodore, Hush froze.

“It isn’t relevant to my command.” That was a load of shit.

“I think you know why it’s damned relevant.” He growled, eyes narrowing.

“I’m not a damned Jedi and I won’t be treated like one!” The anger in his voice was cold and it was obvious he was uncomfortable, offended even, by the thought of being compared to a Jedi. 

Hush curled in on himself, trying to hide and failing at it miserably. The commodore caught the motion and his eyes slid over to the trooper before his entire demeanor changed. Letting out a frustrated sigh his tense shoulders began to relax and the air of potential danger slowly dissipated. “I can touch the force, like almost everyone on Stewjon, but I can’t perform the amazing feats a Jedi can. The training we undergo is very different and the way we view the Force is… incompatible.” So it was a cultural thing that had him not wanting to be called a Jedi. Once the men knew about it he would have to be sure to warn them off of calling the commodore a Jedi General.

While he suspected the commodore wouldn’t retaliate with anything more than extra shifts or some grueling drills, it was a matter of respecting boundaries and giving back some of the respect they had been shown.

“What can you do?” The man’s nose crinkled, almost in distaste, before he sighed.

“I can feel an attack before it happens and enhance my own strength but not much else. I’m not a Ken.” As he sat there blinking in confusion his vod’ika nodded as if what had been said made perfect sense. He looked over at Hush and wondered how much he knew about the commodore’s culture. The two of them spent a lot of time together and when his vod’ika wasn’t filled with jitters he was a very curious sort. No doubt he had asked and the commodore had politely answered.

“…Ken is what my people call our mystics, the ones you would consider to be closer to an actual Jedi. They can heal, see the future, and levitate objects. But as I said before- my people view the force differently. We don’t believe in being detached from the world or our emotions, we use them to defend ourselves and our communities.” He shook his head.

“I don’t care that you’re not a Jedi, Sir. I’m just relieved we have a force user on our side.” Hush looked over at him in surprise and he wanted to sigh. His vod’ika must have thought that no one would share his sentiments about being content with the commodore, rather than wishing for a Jedi General. “Can you detect dark force users? Like Dooku?” The man’s eyes became sharp and he nodded curtly.

“The ones who use the force to only take and hurt. We have a word for them on my planet. It roughly translates to Soulless Ones. The ones who give up the gift of community and selfishly think only of themselves.” An interesting choice of words. ‘The gift of community.’ It sounded like wherever the commodore was from had very strong beliefs.

“We just call them Demagolkase. Pure evil.” They shared a look of understanding and something inside him eased.

This was someone who understood the need to protect family. And it looked like he had adopted the entirety of the battalion as his own.

“Sirs, we’re coming up on the camp now!” The Private called from the front.

Getting out of the speeder first he stepped out of the way as he surveyed the outskirts of the camp. Nothing seemed to be amiss so far. He looked up at the sky and grimaced at the patter of water droplets on his visor.

“Forgive me if I scared you with my anger. I take threats against you and your brothers very seriously and I hope you know I would never willingly hurt any of you.” Glancing over at the commodore he saw that the man had a hand resting lightly against Hush’s arm, speaking in a quiet murmur that Dajun could only overhear thanks to his helmet. 

“You d-don’t-” Of course his vod’ika wouldn’t think he deserved an apology. Would feel obligated to brush it off.

“No, Hush. You have every right to feel upset, frightened, or disturbed. You are human. No one can stop you from having emotions. I only hope you will come to trust me in time.” Dajun wanted to snort in amusement but held himself back. The commodore was absolutely unreal. 

If he was being honest with himself, and he always tried to be, he was waiting for the final piece to drop. For the man to do something that he fundamentally disagreed with. But so far he had managed to endear himself to all of the vode under his command. Although that certainly wasn’t true of the natborn officers. Thankfully none of those officers came into the field with them. Not like the commodore.

Dajun followed the man into camp, smiling when the commodore finally began to relax as he greeted the troopers.

Then it sank in.

The man’s sudden hostility and sense of urgency, the coldness in the air and the shattered ornament- he had taken the threat to the troopers seriously and hurried back to camp to reassure himself that the men were fine. He had been worried about them.

He cared.

Dajun spied Puzzle looking in their direction and smiled when his cyare subtly signed a greeting at him. He signed one back before Puzzle motioned behind him. He looked back and noticed that Hush hadn’t moved from his spot near the speeder. Glancing between the commodore and Hush he chuckled as he took off his helmet.

“Vod’ika, hurry it up. You’re going to get left behind.” The man startled slightly but quickly rushed to catch up.

He didn’t ask what was on his vod’ika’s mind but he had a sneaking suspicion it had everything to do with the man who standing ten feet ahead of them, chatting amiably with a pair of scouts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations;
> 
> Vod'ika- Little brother.  
> Natborn- Non clones.  
> Shabla- Fucking.  
> Demagolkase (Plural)- War criminal, someone who tortures children, the worst kind of monster.  
> Cyare- Beloved.
> 
> Idioms;
> 
> Waiting for the final piece to drop- Clone version of ‘waiting for the other shoe to drop.’ Instead of shoes it is referring to their armor.


End file.
